How to Download CS2 Demos?

The ability to watch your own demos is an important tool for any CS2 player who takes the game seriously. So, learning how to download your matches in CS2 is a key skill to master if you want to improve your gameplay and borrow a trick or two from pro players. Are you ready to boost your play? Read our useful tips on how to download Counter-Strike demos!

Launch Steam to Access Counter-Strike 2 Stats

In CS:GO, the demo viewer was super rigged, laggy, and difficult to use, which made learning process of smoke and flash grenade tricks a real pain. Thankfully, CS2 improved things quite a bit. Plus, now you can always identify which important information you’ve missed during rounds and detect a cheater.

Your first steps in exploring how to download demos in CS2 are:

• Sign in to your Steam account using a web browser.
• Hover the mouse cursor over your nickname in the main menu panel.

• In the drop-down menu, find ‘Games’ and tap on it.

  

• Find Counter-Strike 2, jump to the ‘My Game Stats’ tab, click on it, and then proceed by tapping on the last option, ‘[Your nickname]’s Personal Game Data.’

  

Navigate to the Replays Section

One option is to select the ‘Premier Matches’ or ‘Ranked Competitive Matches’ tab and press ‘LOAD MORE HISTORY’ on the ‘Personal Game Data’ page.

Alternatively, you can launch the game and press the TV icon at the top left corner of the main screen. There, you’ll see the screen divided into two sections via tabs ‘Your Matches’ and ‘Downloaded.’ On the first tab, you’ll be able to view and download your Ranked Competitive Matches. On the second one, you’ll see the previously downloaded games.

Find the Match

Now, you have a comprehensive list of all matches you’ve played in the Premier mode, including maps, results, and your stats. Search for your own matches you want to rewatch or find some interesting featured games or community matches.

Download the Demo

When you’ve found that “one and only” match:

• Hit the ‘Download GOTV Replay’ button under its description on the left panel.

  

• Select the location on your PC where you want to save the demo file.
• Find your Counter-Strike 2 installation folder (game directory), unzip the file there, and rename it into something easier to locate and launch in the game, like “MyDemo”.

Note: The default installation folder is usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\game\csgo.

Access Your Demo

After your download finishes, you can watch the demos. However, you'll need to activate several Counter-Strike console commands first.

• Launch the CS2 through the Steam client.
• Enable developer console and open it from the main game screen.

• Type in the command: “playdemo [YourDemoName]”.

  

• Next, press “Shift+F2” or enter the "demoui" command in the console to enable the demo player’s UI interface so you can navigate the video.

  

• Now, you can enjoy your demo watch party in peace, learning some new stuff to improve your skills before future matches.

Now you know how to download CS2 demos! Go, and change the way you play.

Looking for more? Read our guide with pro tips and tricks to boost your CS2 skills.